Ukraine released a video showing two North Korean soldiers captured on the battlefield in Russia’s Kursk region on Jan. 11. The two men, reportedly injured but in stable condition, have been taken to Kyiv, where they are receiving “necessary medical assistance” and are being interrogated by the Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU.
The two soldiers admitted that they were from North Korea during questioning and acknowledged that North Korean forces had suffered significant losses in the war. North Korea has deployed over 12,000 soldiers from its Storm Corps, the most well-trained in Pyongyang’s military, to Russia’s Kursk region since November, where Ukrainian forces have partially reclaimed territory after staging a cross-border incursion last year.
Ukrainian officials said that this was the first time they captured North Korean soldiers alive from the battlefield. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed the capture on Jan. 12, noting that one of its officials is participating in the interrogation.
In a statement posted on Telegram and X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “Our soldiers have captured North Korean military personnel in the Kursk region. Two soldiers, though wounded, survived and were transported to Kyiv, where they are now communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine.”
Zelensky also released a photograph of a Russian military ID card one of the soldiers had been carrying when captured, which was issued in the name of another person from Tuva in Russia. The ID card read, “Born in 1998 in Turan, Tuva Republic, Russia.” The Tuva Republic, a Russian republic in southern Siberia, located northwest of Mongolia, has a significant ethnic Mongolian population. The ID is suspected to be falsified to conceal the soldier’s true origin.
The captured soldiers are identified as a 20-year-old rifleman and a 26-year-old sniper, who reportedly began their military service in 2021 and 2016, respectively.
According to the NIS, one of the soldiers said, “I arrived in Russia in November last year, completed a week of training, and was then sent to the battlefield. I was told we were going to Russia for training, not combat, and only found out about the deployment after I arrived.” Ukrainian media reported that the soldiers spoke only Korean, “so communication with them is carried out through interpreters of Korean, in cooperation with South Korea’s NIS.”
The two North Korean soldiers were each captured by Ukrainian Special Operation Forces and paratroopers. Last month, the Ukrainian military issued a special directive to “capture North Korean soldiers alive,” offering medals and special leave as rewards. The Special Operation Forces released a video of how the North Korean soldiers were captured on a separate social media post. The video, filmed using drones, shows a North Korean soldier and a Ukrainian soldier purportedly trying to communicate using a smartphone translator.
Ukraine’s recent capture of North Korean soldiers is regarded as the most definitive evidence that Pyongyang sent troops to assist Moscow’s war effort. Both Russia and North Korea have denied deployment. Even after Ukraine presented various pieces of evidence and the U.S., South Korea, and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) confirmed the deployment, Russia and North Korea refused to address the matter.
In response to emerging photos and videos of North Korean troops, Russia claimed they were ethnic Mongolian Russian volunteers from Siberian regions such as Buryatia and the Tuva Republic. Russian President Vladimir Putin even showcased ethnic Mongolian figures at a year-end press conference on Dec. 19 to reinforce this narrative.
But North Korea’s deployment and assistance in Russia’s war efforts are now undeniable. “Clear evidence has emerged that North Korea is participating in Russia’s war,” the SBU said.
